


Baker

by harrysnightingale



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, fluff fluff fluff, harry comes to his rescue, louis is abused by his dad, they work in a bakery together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-08 17:21:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15248154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrysnightingale/pseuds/harrysnightingale
Summary: louis works in a bakeryharry is a multi million dollar pop star that helps his mum out sometimestrigger warning for abuse and thoughts of suicide (bc that's all i can write)





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> i finally got on AO3. ive has an acc for a while but i was too lazy to post some of my stories here as well hAAA
> 
> enjoy x
> 
> some warnings: there will be mentions of abuse. it will be described and talked about a lot, as well as talk of death and a family member passing so if that kind of thing is triggering to you, please read at your own risk.

...........................................................................

 

"P-please," Louis gasped, trying desperately to roll away from his father. A sharp laugh was heard after another punch was thrown to Louis' stomach, causing him to roll over and throw up what was left in his stomach from that morning. 

 

"I didn't pay €14,947 for you to become a pathetic failure!" His fathers voice bellowed, using the back of his hand to wipe the alcohol off his lip. "Ya know what? You're gonna get your lazy ass up and get a job. Two if you have to, but you are going to pay me back every last cent you owe me for that damn school."

 

"Y-yes si-sir." Louis murmured, taking the chance to get up and clean himself off, then clean the blood and vomit from the floor. His father waited with a glare before shoving his keys into Louis' sweater covered hand. 

 

"Don't come back till you find a job." He spat angrily. 

 

..

 

After four hours of helpless job hunting, Louis now had the word "inexperienced" permanently seared into his skull. Eventually he found a potential job at a bakery not too far from his house, they offered minimum wage with lots of hours and who was he to argue. He had to go back when the owner would be there for an interview, he was told by a lovely lady named Barbra. 

 

He walked back into the house with a quiet sigh, putting the keys in the bowl by the door. He made sure he wouldn't disturb his father who was sitting on the couch, empty beer bottle in his hand. Louis quietly looked around the kitchen, eyes tearing up slightly when he didn't see any food out. He would rather starve than risk waking his father up. I'll get some food from Niall tomorrow. He concluded, making his way upstairs to study for his classes in order to avoid any other beatings. 

 

When his dull phone screen lit up with a tumblr notification, Louis' eyes quickly widened when he saw it was from one of his favourite blogs. Deciding he studied enough, Louis put all his books back in his bag and changed his clothes before getting settled comfortably under his sheets. He grabbed his phone again and unlocked it quickly, opening the tumblr app. 

 

harryupd8s: harry is in doncaster today! 

 

Louis' heart fluttered, the man he had been drooling over for years was in his town! What if the ran into each other? After scrolling through his feed for a little bit, he decided he needed to get to sleep before he got in trouble tomorrow for sleeping.

 

..

 

"Oi, get up, boy. Don't piss me off this early!" Mark banged on the door, jolting Louis awake. 

 

"Y-yes si-sir!" Louis quickly got up, throwing his Manchester sweater on after he pulled on his black skinny jeans and black Vans. He styled his hair in his usual quiff, made sure to use some makeup to conceal the wounds from the night prior, and grabbed his messenger bag, throwing it over his shoulder while he pocketed his phone and quickly ran downstairs, waiting for his father nervously by the door. His father simply grunted and walked out, Louis hot on his heels. The two got into Mark's black Porsche, beginning the quiet ten minute drive to Louis' school.

 

"Try not to make a fool of yourself again, Louis. I'm expecting you to be at work as soon as class ends. If I find out you were late, you're gonna be sorry, boy." His father said through gritted teeth, rolling the window up after Louis got out. 

 

Louis nodded quickly, mumbling a small 'yes, sir.' as he turned around to get to his locker. 

 

"Hey Lou!" Niall said with a smile, walking up to him. "Did you hear the news? Harry Styles is in Donny!"

 

Louis sighed happily and put his hand over his heart, "I feel complete." 

 

"We have to find him!" Niall swooned, showing Louis a new picture that got posted.

 

Louis' heart clenched, "we do. But I cant. My dad wants me to start paying him back because I'm just wasting his money at this school."

 

Niall rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the boy. "That man is ridiculous." The bell rang, signalling the boys to go to class. "You know if things get bad you can come crash at mine!" He called out, walking in the opposite direction.  

 

Louis grabbed the rest of his books and made his way to his first class, Lit. 

 

..

 

After Niall walked half way to the bakery with Louis, he decided he should get home to do homework before his parents yelled at him. He gave Louis a quick hug and wished him luck before he turned on his heel and speed walked to his home. 

 

"Louis! so glad you actually showed up!" Barbara smiled, "the owner is in today so we can get you interviewed and hopefully working today." She said. Her voice reminded Louis of fresh baked cookies, and that might just be because she was holding a warm tray full of fresh chocolate chip cookies. 

 

"Thank you very much," he smiled politely, taking a cookie with a blush when she offered him one. He was instructed to the back the shop where a lovely lady stood with her hand on her hip, scolding someone over the phone. 

 

"Now, Harold." Is all he heard from her before she turned around with a smile. "You must be Louis! Barbara was excited to tell me about you." She smiled warmly, taking his hand. "The interview process wont be long and we can probably get you started today - we really need the extra help. My son is on his way as well, so you can meet him." 

 

Louis nodded, following her into what seemed to be her office. There were pictures hanging everywhere of who he believed to be her son, and Louis felt a strange sense of deja vu, like he had seen the pictures before. A small name plate was on the front of her desk that reminded Louis of a doctors office. 

 

Anne Cox, owner 

 

Wait. 

 

Anne Cox? As in Harry Styles' mother? 

 

Louis' eyes almost bulged out of his head. his mouth went dry and he wiped his hands on the back of his pants nervously. 

 

"So, Louis. what made you want to work here?" Anne smiled at him again, her dimples showing. 

 

Definitely Harry's mum Louis thought. "I, um, I just really like baking. My mum used to show me a lot before she passed and I don't have the chance to do it that much anymore with my father. I figured working here would give me a window into that part of my life again."

 

Anne nodded, happy with that answer. She went on to more questions about what days he could work and if he had an questions. 

 

"We usually dont start people the same day, but we're desperate. The church down the street depends on us for most of their donation food and we've been so behind lately with the weather," she said solemnly, shaking her head. "I'll send you to the back to work on bread, when my son gets here he can teach you. Thank you so much, Louis." She smiled gratefully, reaching into the closet to find an apron and name tag for him. She picked out the letters and stuck them on the tiny metal square before she handed it to him 

 

"My pleasure, Ms. Cox." He replied respectfully, trying to hide the fact that he was freaking out over getting to work with the Harry Styles. He tied the apron around his stomach and attached the name tag to his breast pocket. 

 

"Mum, this apron doesnt fit me!" Louis' head snapped up, instantly recognizing the voice. 

 

"Then get dirty, love!" Anne called back, causing Harry to scoff and walk over to Louis. 

 

"Hi! 'M Harry," he smiled, his dimples showing off nicely. He held his hand out to Louis, 

 

"'M L-Louis." The small boy mumbled, placing his hand in Harry's. 

 

"You sound nervous, love. You alright?" Harry furrowed his brow, walking over to get some flour for the bread. 

 

"Y-you're Harry S-Styles." Louis said quietly, his mouth still opened slightly. 

 

"Yeah?" Harry raised his eyebrow again, looking at Louis like he had three heads. "Oh! Oh, um, yeah. I forget about that when I'm back here. Just feel like a kid again helpin my mum out."

 

"That's so sweet." Louis smiled, following Harry's lead by mixing the ingredients together to make the bread. "Bad boy Harry Styles comes home to bake bread with his mum." 

 

Harry chuckled, turning the mixer on. "So you're a fan, eh?" Louis nodded with a blush, making Harry smile. "Good. Thank you for your support. It means a lot," he added sincerely.

 

"O-of course. You're amazing," Louis blurted out, then slapped his hand over his face in embarrassment. 

 

"You're not too bad yourself," Harry winked, helping Louis bring some of the already made bread out to the front. "I think if we get started on these cupcakes and a few trays of cookies we should be good." He nodded contently, looking back to Louis who nodded in agreement. 

 

Once everything had been made, Louis helped Harry ice the cupcakes (he really tried his hardest not to stare at Harry's arms the whole time) and put them in their appropriate spots. 

 

"Thank you so much, Louis. You're already a lifesaver." Anne smiled, putting one hand on Harry's shoulder. 

 

"It's no problem, it was really fun." Louis smiled as well, reaching behind him to undo the apron. A beep was heard outside and everyone turned to look. Louis' throat went dry and he quickly fumbled with the apron and name tag, "th-thank you, M-Ms. Cox. I'll be back tomorrow. B-bye, Harry." He tried to contain his emotions, but the tears welling in his eyes were noticeable to Anne and her son. 

 

They watched as Louis all but ran out of the bakery and got into the Porsche. They heard yelling for a second, but they both thought it was just the radio. 

 

"He seemed like he was in a rush," Harry noted, raising his eyebrow. 

 

"I suppose. Did he freak out when he saw you?" Anne asked, turning to wipe down a few of the tables. 

 

Harry flipped the 'open' sign to 'closed' and shook his head, "No! He's the only person that never flipped out. He was calm and, wow. It was refreshing, honestly. He said he was a big fan of me, though. Called me amazing," Harry blushed, pushing in some chairs. 

 

"Awh, Harry! You have a crush on Louis!" Anne squealed, grinning at her son. 

 

"I don't know, maybe!" Harry smiled back shyly, keeping his head down. "He was pretty cute. And his ass in those pants," he swooned, pretending to fan himself with a napkin. 

 

"Calm down there, rockstar. Help your mum close up." 

 

As soon as Louis got in the car, he was met with a disapproving stare. "How dare you make me wait out here. From now on, fucking walk home." Mark spat, putting the car in drive. Louis desperately fumbled out an apology but it made no difference to the man. 

 

When they got home, Louis knew he was in for it. 

 

Louis went through his usual nightly routine. As soon as his homework was done - and double checked to insure good marks - he took a quick shower and laid in bed. It occurred to him that all he had eaten that day was a cookie Barbra had got him. He contemplated going downstairs to look for food, but knew better than to do that. He'll just wake up early and eat tomorrow. 

 

Laying comfortably in bed, Louis unlocked his phone and opened the Tumblr application again. He scrolled through his feed for a bit, liking and reblogging a few pictures he thought were nice. After letting out a yawn, he decided it would be best to go ahead and turn in for the light. He plugged his phone in and turned his lamp off before turning on his side, bringing the blankets up to his chin as he closed his eyes and went over the days events. 

 

After all, he did meet Harry Styles. 

 

..

 

The next morning, Louis was able to snag a granola bar, small bag of crisps, and a water into his bag. He even got to make a quick bowl of cereal before Mark woke up. He made sure to clean everything and put it all back in the same exact place so Mark wouldn't notice. 

 

Once that was done, he got to work making his father a cup of coffee like he was instructed to do every morning. Right as it was finished, Mark came downstairs dressed for work. He took the mug from Louis with a snarl and started to sip it. He instructed the boy to make him some breakfast as he sat at the table and read the newspaper. Louis stayed silent as he did what he was told. Eventually, Mark was satisfied and snapped at Louis to get in the car so he wouldn't be late. 

 

After finishing his final class, he began the walk to work. He was eager to work again (mostly just to see Harry). So when he walked in and was met with another kind smile from Barbara, he felt himself giving her one back. He secured an apron around his waist and walked into the back where Harry was icing some cupcakes and humming to himself. 

 

"U-um, hi, Harry." Louis spoke quietly, biting his bottom lip as he waited for the other boy to respond. 

 

Harry looked up and smiled brightly. he grabbed a second pipping bag and filled it with light purple frosting, handing it to Louis. "Hi there, care to help me frost the cupcakes? I can finish the chocolate ones if you get started on the vanilla ones." He asked in a soft tone, one that Louis had noticed the taller boy using around him. 

 

"Yeah, yeah, of course. How's your day been?" Louis asked, sitting on a stool next to Harry. A blush crept up his neck and face as Harry's knee brushed against his thigh. 

 

"It's been good. Slept mostly until my mum rolled me out of bed and made me come here." He rolled his eyes slightly at that in a playful manner. "Just kidding, I love coming here. Nice to have something consistent. like, when I come here, no one really cares that I'm 'Harry Styles' they just care that I'm... Harry." He explained, picking up a smaller pipping bag to decorate the iced cupcakes with flowers. 

 

"I could see how this would be nice to come back to. Especially with people treating you for you and not the media perception of you." Louis responded, looking down at the cupcakes he was icing. He heard Harry put his pipping bag down and a wave of anxiety ran through his body. scared he struck a nerve, he snapped his head to Harry, ready to apologise. He ruined everything. Harry was going to hit him now and—

 

"Exactly. That's a great way of putting it." Harry said with a smile, showing off one of his dimples. "Usually when I talk to people about this kind of stuff, they tell me to not be ungrateful. But like, I don't mean to sound like that, but it's hard being a celebrity sometimes. When you start out, no one tells you how hard it is to keep up a certain image, whatever image your team wants you to have." He added, picking the bag up to start pipping again. "Anyway, tell me about you. I'm sure you know enough about me by now," 

 

Louis relaxed when Harry spoke, his nerves easing after he finished speaking the first time. When he asked about Louis' life, that caused the smaller boy to raise his eyebrow. "Um, well, I was born and raised in Donny. I'm a single child, live with me dad... oh, my best friends name is Niall. I'm seventeen," he listed off a few things, finding it easy to talk to Harry. 

 

"And what are your dreams? What do you want to be when you're older?" This question got Louis thinking. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he came up with a solid answer. 

 

"I want to teach young children with disabilities. It's what my mum used to do and she would take me to work with her sometimes. I loved it." Louis explained, a small fond smile appearing on his face as he did. 

 

"That's great, Lou. very kind of you," Harry answered with a matching smile. After a moment, he spoke again. "You said your mum used to do that? What does she do now?" 

 

"Oh, she, um, she actually passed away a bit ago." Louis responded, biting his bottom lip. 

 

"Shit, I'm sorry for asking." Harry quickly spoke up, turning to face the boy. "I didn't know. I'm very sorry for your loss," 

 

Louis shook his head and gave harry a small smile. "No, no. It's okay, Harry. Trust me." He assured, patting the taller lads knee. Harry looked down at the gesture and smiled,

 

"Your hands are so tiny. You're tiny," he observed with an innocent grin. 

 

Louis prepared a rant about he was not tiny, but the look on Harry's face made his anger melt almost as quickly as it appeared. "Well, we can't all be skyscrapers, love." 

 

Harry laughed at that and nodded, "fair enough. What's your favourite colour?" 

 

For the rest of their shift, Harry and Louis got to know each other while icing over three dozen cupcakes. After they were complete, Louis helped Anne load them all up in the car so she could deliver them to a local school that was hosting an event for the night. 

 

"What school is it, mum?" Harry asked again, holding his mothers phone to get directions. 

 

"Saint Alexanders. It's the most prestigious school in the country, darling." 

 

"Christ, is it those snotty prep kids?" Harry asked with an eye roll. Louis' eyes widened and he coughed awkwardly,

 

"U-um, what are they for? The cupcakes, i mean. What's the event?" He asked, his tone shaking slightly. 

 

"Oh, for some parent student thing. Open house, more like. Starts in a couple of minutes, actually." Anne explained, holding her hand out for the phone from Harry. 

 

Louis opened his mouth to ask Anne if he could leave, but was cut off by a strong hand on his shoulder. One he knew all too well. 

 

"Louis, my boy. We best be getting to school for that open house." Mark said in a sickeningly calm voice. Louis couldn't help the involuntary shudder that came with his fathers words. "I'm assuming he's done for the day? I do apologise for my abruptness, seems my son here let it slip his mind that we had this event tonight."

 

"Oh, Louis, you go to that school? That's wonderful! And yes sir, he shift is over. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tomlinson. I'm Anne, the owner." She extended her hand with a smile. Mark shook her hand and returned the smile before pushing Louis (a little too roughly) towards his car. 

 

"Bye, Louis!" Harry called out and waved at him. Louis turned to wave but his wrist was snatched and forced down by his father. Before the car even shut, the Styles' were able to hear Mark yelling at Louis. "Wow, his dad seems like a great person." He supplied sarcastically. 

 

"Well, love, everyone comes from different backgrounds. He might just be having a stressful day, for all we know. Now get in the car, I'll drop you off at home before heading over." His mother instructed. 

 

Back in the car, Louis was curled up in the seat as far away from Mark as possible. He could see spit flying from the angry mans mouth as he yelled. 

 

"Are you daft, boy? You dumb shit, you can't even remember things! Proper useless you are!" He screamed, slamming his fists against the steering wheel. 

 

"P-please stop," Louis whimpered, tears falling from his eyes. Mark pulled into the school parking lot (Louis silently thanked the lord that his school wasn't far from the bakery).  

 

"You better dry your face, Louis. And act like a decent human being. I don't need the whole damn town knowing how much of a fuck up you are, crying over nothing." He rolled his eyes, turning the car off. Louis let out a few more tears before he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 

 

Louis made it back home with little tears. Though when he walked through the door, he was instantly pushed to the wall and held there by his throat. Louis closed his eyes while this happened and let his mind wander to something – anything – that would make him feel better. 

 

First, he thought of his mum. How she would play with his hair sometimes to get him to sleep and sing him a song. She wasn't the best singer, but her voice always lulled him off to sleep nonetheless. 

 

While his father punched him in the stomach and caused him to fall to his knees, he imagined sitting in his mothers lap and listening to her sing about him being her sunshine. 

 

Second, he thought about Niall. That loveable Irish lad that would always seem to find the funniest stories to tell Louis after he would call Niall in tears over Mark. 

 

While his father spat on him and demanded he clean the blood off the floor and door, he imagined walking with Niall as he told Louis a story of how he wee'd himself at a school play and was so mortified he passed out. 

 

Third, he thought about Harry. The boy that used to be just a celebrity to Louis was now a real person right at his fingertips. He never thought someone could make him feel so safe. So at home. 

 

While he dragged himself up the stairs and into the bathroom and bit back a scream as the water soaked his wounds, he thought of Harry's hands over his. Teaching him the proper way to make the dough, all the while telling Louis about something he did in his childhood that caused his mother to chase him around the house with a half full can of tomato sauce. 

 

Though when Louis was laying in bed, willing his injuries to calm down long enough for him to get some rest, he couldn't think of anything. His mind was racing yet numb all at once. Thankfully it put him to sleep, but it didn't stop the oncoming nightmares from taking place.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ya'll i had this story on wattpad for two months and its only at 9 reads. this is already at 160 reads. SHOOK

When Louis woke up the next morning, he was surprised that he had gotten a decent amount of sleep. The house was quiet, so Louis assumed Mark had left for work. 

 

Speaking of work, Louis had a full day shift today that he was rather looking forward to. Though once he padded softly to the bathroom, he winced as the harsh light showed the dark bruises on his face. He grabbed the concealer from the medicine cabinet and got to work applying it over the bruises. He put foundation on top to make sure it looked smooth and then gave himself a smile in the mirror, satisfied with how it came out. 

 

He went back to his room and pulled on a cream coloured knit sweater overtop a plain white button up long sleeved shirt. After securing his skinny jeans on his waist, he bent down and laced up his beaten black vans and pocketed his phone and wallet. He made sure to lock the door on his way out, shoving his keys into his back pocket as he walked down the street, out of his neighbourhood and towards the bakery. 

 

Once he got there, he was greeted instantly by Anne. 

 

"Hi love. How did your conference go last night?" She asked with a warm smile, handing him an apron. 

 

"It was good, yeah, it went well." Louis smiled at her, tying the apron around his waist. Until I got home and got the shit beat out of me. 

 

"Good, I'm glad to hear. If you'll just head to the back? We have a catering order for a big party today and poor Harry's been doing most of it alone." Louis nodded at that and started to walk to the back. 

 

He stopped at the doorway, listening to Harry sing softly with his back turned. When the song finished, Louis walked closer and tapped his shoulder. 

 

"You have a good voice. You should be a singer." He said jokingly. Harry looked over at him and smiled, 

 

"Nah, I'd never make it." He said with a laugh. He turned back to the cookie dough in front of him, "You can either decorate cookies or bake them. Which would you like?" 

 

Louis thought for a minute, a hand on his hip while his other hand went to scratch under his chin. "Hm... well I'm shit at art so I'll go ahead and bake the cookies. Plus I know you love decorating them." 

 

It's true. The things he has learned about Harry already is astounding. He's so much more than a pop star coming to help his mum. He's a true, genuine, lovely boy and it made Louis' heart swell. 

 

"Right you are, darling." Harry smiled and wiped his hands on his apron before grabbing a tray of cookies that were cooking on a rack. "How's your day been so far? And your night? Your dad seemed like he was in a rush last night." 

 

"Oh yeah, it's going good. Last night was good, too. My dad, he, um, he was just stressed with work. It was my fault for forgetting about it. I should have put a reminder on my phone or–" Louis was starting to make himself panic, so he grabbed the counter in front of him and shut his mouth. 

 

"Hey, it's okay," Harry bit his lip and put a hand on Louis' shoulder. He tried to ignore the way the smaller boy flinched. "People forget, love. You're only human." He assured the boy. 

 

Louis took a shaky breath and shook his head again, "I should have remembered. If I would have just set a reminder then he wouldn't have been mad and," again, the boy shut his mouth and looked over at Harry. Despite the situation, the boy was smiling. 

 

"You have a lovely voice." Harry commented, "can I give you a hug?" He figured it would be best to ask before assuming anything. When he saw the shorter boy give a quick nod, Harry wasted no time in wrapping his arms around Louis' slim waist. A few seconds went by before he felt tiny arms reach around his shoulders and hug him back. "There you go, love." Harry praised him softly. 

 

"Thank you, H. Can't remember the last time I've had a proper hug." Louis admitted, relishing in the feeling of being close to Harry. Not in a fan type of way, like he was dreaming out over hugging Harry Styles, but more of just a feeling of safety while being held to Harry's chest, strong arms wrapped around him comfortingly for once. 

 

"I think hugging you might become a daily activity. You're very tiny and warm." Harry said with a hidden smile. He rested his chin on top of Louis' head and rubbed the boys back gently. 

 

God, Louis could just stay in that moment forever. He's never felt so relaxed before. "You'll be okay, Lou. Dunno what's wrong, but I can see it in your eyes that you're hurting. I won't push you to tell me, but I want you to know that you can always talk to me. Here, lemme see your phone," Harry said after a moment. He reluctantly pulled away from Louis and held his hand out for the boys phone. 

 

Louis did as he was told and handed the phone over, Harry's words still playing over in his mind. He took his phone back once Harry was done and smiled a bit when he saw the new contact. 

 

harry. complete with a fire emoji and the heart eye emoji. 

 

Complete with a selfie for the contact picture. 

 

Harry watched him with warm smile before handing over his own phone, "put your number in, love. So I know it's you and not a crazed fan." He said with a small laugh. 

 

Louis returned the laugh and nodded. typing his number in before deciding on 'louis tomlinson' with the emoji with the sunglasses for the name. He handed the phone back and then turned back to the cookies. "Thank you, Harry," he said quietly once Harry had returned to decorating cookies.

 

"No problem, gorgeous." He answered back, the smile evident on his face without even having to look. Louis blushed and looked down at the bowl of cookie dough he was mixing.

 

Through the rest of his shift, Louis kept himself close to Harry. He found himself wanting to be around him, wanting to talk to him and just listening to what the boy had to say. Harry was mesmerising, honestly. At least, he was to Louis. He didn't understand how the media could possibly portray him as a womanising heart breaker. He could barely hurt a fly. 

 

"Hey, Lou?" Harry asked before they started to clean up. Once the boy in question turned around, Harry bit his lip with a shy smile. "Are you busy tonight? Do you maybe wanna hang out?" 

 

Louis' heart sped up when Harry asked him to hang out. Truly, it started moving at twice the normal speed. "Really? I–, no. I'm not busy. I-I'd love to hang out." He stuttered, his cheeks heating up. He knew going out without letting Mark know would result in more injuries, but he didn't care about that at the moment. All he cared about was that hopefully look on Harry's face. 

 

"Ace! Okay, yeah. We can go back to my place? Well, my mums place, but we could head there and watch some movies, if you'd like." There were those damned dimples again. 

 

"That sounds really good, yeah. I can never say no to movies." Louis returned his smile, undoing his apron with a happy sigh. 

 

When they had finished cleaning and got the okay from Anne to head out, Harry looked at his mum with a shy smile. 

 

"Is it okay if Louis comes over? I told him we could watch movies and hang out." He asked, a small blush creeping up his cheeks when he saw his mum look between the two boys and smirk. 

 

"Of course, darling. You're a nineteen year old pop star, you don't have to ask me permission to have people over. Especially not someone as lovely as Louis." She smiled, putting her hand on Louis' shoulder. 

 

She tried to ignore the way he flinched when her hand came closer to him. 

 

Harry reached down and kissed his mums cheek, then lead Louis to his car and turned it on, waiting for Anne to come out as well so he could drive them all home. Once in the car, Louis pulled his phone out and with shaky fingers, he sent a quick text to Mark. 

 

to mark: i'm gonna be late coming home tonight, is that okay? 

 

Apparently it wasn't okay, because no more than a minute later his phone lit up with an incoming call. Louis was about to step out of the car and walk away so Mark could yell at him without anyone hearing, but Anne had just gotten in the car and Harry had begun driving. Louis' thumb shook as it slid across his screen and he raised his phone to his ear, turning his volume down as much as he could. 

 

"Hello?" He answered quietly. Anne looked over at Harry, her eyebrow raised. Harry motioned towards her that Louis was on the phone and she nodded her head understandingly. 

 

"Really, Louis?" Mark yelled, his voice booming. Louis flinched away from his phone, keeping his eyes down. "What a little shit you are! Where are you going? Getting on your knees for someone, I presume?" 

 

Harry's knuckles turned white. 

 

"I-I'm going to Harry's house. He's my boss' son. We're not–, we're just watching movies." Louis whispered, pressing the knuckle of his pointer finger into his left eye, feeling the tears start to pool there. 

 

"You are to be home by nine o'clock, do you hear me? Try not to embarrass yourself too much around a celebrity, yeah? Don't need the whole world to know how useless you are." Louis opened his mouth and closed it a few times, searching for a response. He took too long for Mark, apparently, because the call was ended. 

 

Louis dropped his phone into his lap and kept his head down, rubbing at his eyes to stop himself from crying. He wouldn't embarrass himself that bad. 

 

Anne reached over and grabbed Harry's knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Everyone stayed silent, not sure of what to say. Eventually, Harry did speak up. 

 

"I was looking up at the ceiling in my room the other night and I realised that it's not the best ceiling that I've seen, but it's up there." 

 

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in disappointment. It was silent for a moment after that and Harry bit his lip, hoping his joke would have cheered the boy up or at least gotten a reaction out of him. He was about to speak again, this time to apologise, but he was cut off by the sound of Louis laughing. 

 

"That's the worst joke I've ever heard." Louis shook his head, the smile growing on his face. Anne turned around in her seat to look at him,

 

"Love, you haven't been around Harry long enough. It only goes downhill from here." She said sympathetically. Louis laughed again and turned to look out the window, starting to feel better. He was honestly beyond relieved that Anne nor Harry tried to ask about his phone call. He wasn't ready to tell them— to tell anyone, really. 

 

While Louis was busy getting lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed that they had pulled up to a large house. 

 

"I didn't even know Doncaster had such big house," Louis said in amazement, looking around. "it's so lovely, Ms. Cox," he complimented, turning to her. 

 

"Lou, dear, just call me Anne, okay? No need to be so formal." She scolded him playfully. "Besides, Harry here bought it for me. Such a sweet boy, taking care of his mum." Harry went to the front door and held it open for his mum and Louis, smiling politely then they thanked him. "I'm going to start cooking dinner, love. Come downstairs in about an hour." She told her son, patting his chest gently. 

 

Harry nodded and kissed the top of her head before leading Louis upstairs to his bedroom. He opened the door with a smile, allowing Louis to walk in first. The smaller lads eyes wandered, taking in all the details of the room.

 

"You know, I still expected something more fancy for Mr. Harry Styles." Louis snickered, looking back at Harry. Once they were both in, Harry closed the door again and kicked his shoes off, pulling his shirt off as well. 

 

Louis' eyes widened and started to walk away from Harry, his mind going back to what his father said earlier. He opened his mouth to protest, but Harry beat him to it. 

 

"Sorry for the abruptness, I had a stain on this shirt and wanna get it in the washer before it gets any worse," he said with a small chuckle. He ran out of his room and down the hall before Louis could say anything else. 

 

The smaller lad sat down on the bed, looking down to calm his nerves. This is honestly the first time he had been over to someone else's house, if he thinks about it. Mark usually keeps him on a very tight leash and doesn't let him anywhere apart from school and their house - and more recently, work. 

 

"So, Lou. What move do you fancy? I have Netflix." Harry spoke as soon as he came back to the room. Louis looked up slowly, and instantly wished he hadn't. C'mon, he's seen shirtless pictures of Harry before, but seeing Harry Styles shirtless in front of him was... a lot.

 

"H-huh?" Louis asks, averting his eyes back to his lap, this time with his cheeks heating up. "Um, whatever is fine. I'm not picky." He explained, a small smile growing on his face. 

 

"Titanic it is, then." Harry smirked, pulling on a lilac sweater as he sat on his bed. He pulled the covers down and sat up against the headboard, patting the spot next to him for Louis. "I won't bite." He said playfully, grabbing the remote from the nightstand so he could find the movie. 

 

Louis' blush darkened and he nodded slowly, pulling himself up further on the bed. He kicked his shoes off and then got under the covers, sitting next to the boy. Louis stayed silent for a moment after that, trying his vest to focus on the movie. About half way through, Harry shifted a bit and yawned, stretching his arms out until one of them landed on Louis' shoulders. 

 

The smaller lad couldn't help but laugh, turning his head to look at Harry. "Did you really just use that move on me?"

 

"No clue what you're talking about, mate." 

 

"You can't put your arm around my shoulder and then call me 'mate'. You've obviously not flirted with anyone for a while." Harry smirked at that and looked down at the boy, starting to rub his shoulder lightly. 

 

"Look at you, getting all cocky. What makes you think I'm flirting with ya? Maybe I just noticed that you look cold. Or maybe I just yawned and that's were my arm landed." He said dismissively.

 

Louis made a sound of protest, but let it go. He liked having Harry's arm around him, which was surprising. Usually any form of human contact, apart from Niall, would scare him. He'd go rigid and freeze, sometimes even send himself into a panic attack. But with Harry — Harry was different. He gave him this overwhelming sense of safety. He wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

As promised, almost an exact hour from when they got home, Anne was calling the boys down for dinner. Louis' stomach clenched when he saw the food. He was so hungry. So, so hungry. He really needed to take some money from his pay check and use it to buy food. 

 

"Thank you so much, Ms– Anne. Thank you, Anne. It smells delicious." Louis complimented with a smile, sitting down at the table next to Harry. 

 

"Her cooking is amazing. Wish I could take her on the road with me when I tour." Harry admitted with a small laugh. Anne sat across from the two and smiled, shaking her head. 

 

"Thank you, boys." She replied politely. After that, everyone stayed relatively silent for the rest of the meal. As they all started to finish, however, Anne spoke up again, "speaking of tour, H. When will you be leaving?"

 

"Next week is when I have to go back." Louis felt his stomach drop at the boys words. 

 

"Where are you going?" Louis asked quietly, placing his fork down carefully. 

 

"Back on tour. I have a couple shows in Manchester next week and then I'll be out of England and heading to France." Harry explained, finishing his last bite. Louis nodded, playing with his fingers in his lap. It was a stupid thought, honestly, but he didn't want Harry to leave. Then he would be alone again. 

 

Louis didn't like being alone.


	3. three

For the remainder of the time Harry was in Doncaster, Louis went over to his house almost every day (his father beat him for it every night, but fuck, it was worth it to lay in Harry's arms).

 

He hadn't spoken to Niall outside of school for nearly two weeks. Every time he tried to talk to the boy in school, Niall would cut him off with something about Liam and how happy they are now that they're together. Don't get him wrong, Louis was beyond excited for Niall— the boys been talking about his crush on Liam for two years, but he didn't expect Niall to just forget him completely.

 

Though, Louis was used to being forgotten.

 

On the last day, Harry drove Louis to his house, the whole time he was sporting a small smile.

 

"I have a gift for you," he said at one point before they turned down Harry's street.

 

"A gift? For what?" Louis raised his eyebrow with a small laugh. "My birthdays in three months." He reminded him playfully.

 

"I know! I just, I'm leaving early tomorrow and wanted to give you something that would, like, remind you of me? I know it sounds really weird and maybe a little creepy, but I–"

 

"You ramble a lot when you're nervous." Louis cut him off with the observation. Thought it made his heart race to think that he was the reason for his nervousness.

 

"Sorry," Harry apologised with a smile, turning the car off once they pulled up to his house. He couldn't help but feel anxious as they walked upstairs to his room. "If you don't like it, that's okay. I thought you might, though." He grabbed the bag from his nightstand and handed it to Louis.

 

Louis raised his eyebrow but sat on the bed and opened the bag anyway, placing the tissue paper on the side gently. He pulled out a piece of clothing and his expression only got more confused until he looked at it for a good second. "A hoodie?" He asked, looking up at Harry.

 

"It's one of mine. My favourite one, actually. Got it at my first ever Fleetwood Mac concert and I wear it nearly every night to bed." Harry explained, grabbing the hoodie so he could unfold it and show Louis the writing on it. "I want you to have it."

 

"Really? H, this is... are you sure? It's your favourite," Louis bit his lip, watching as Harry placed it down on the bed, smiling at Louis.

 

"I'm sure. Need someone to take care of it for me while I'm gone. Plus, now I have a reason to come back and talk to you." Louis didn't even think before he stood up and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. Harry was a bit surprised by the interaction – Louis almost never initiated any form of physical interaction.

 

"Thank you, Harry." He mumbled into the taller boys neck, clinging onto him. Harry wrapped his arms around the boys waist and held onto him just as tightly, rubbing his back a little as well.

 

"I'm sorry we don't get to spend more time together. I promise once I get back, though, we can do something. Anything you want." Harry promised, waiting for Louis pull away before he broke the hug. The smaller boy nodded and grabbed the hoodie again, a smile tugging at his lips. He opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by his phone ringing. He gave Harry an apologetic smile and answered the phone without checking the caller ID.

 

"Hello?" He asked, his voice sounding happy for once, Harry made note of that.

 

"If you aren't home in the next ten minutes you'll regret the day you were born." Mark was already drunk. Louis could tell by how his words slurred the slightest bit.

 

"Y-yes sir." Louis whispered, ending the call after that. He took a shaky breath and looked back at Harry, "I–, that was my father. I need to get home." He explained, trying his best to keep his voice was wavering too much.

 

"Are you sure you can't stay? We could watch Grease! I know it's your favourite," Harry asked hopefully.

 

Louis nearly bursted into tears.

 

Harry looked so hopeful. He wanted Louis to stay, he wanted to spend time with him. Would it be worth it? Getting beaten into oblivion just to spend more time with Harry? Louis knows it is. He would take a hundred bearings to spend one minute with Harry. But he couldn't do it, not this time. He wanted to be (semi) okay for the surprise party him and Anne were planning for Harry the next day.

 

"I'm sorry, H. I really need to get going, yeah?" He bit his bottom lip, standing back up. Harry let out a quiet sigh, but nodded anyway.

 

"Okay. I guess, like, I'll see you in a bit? In a few months?" Harry told him, though it came out more like a question. Like he was asking to see Louis again.

 

"Of course. You'll know where to find me." Louis gave him a small smile. He leaned down and kissed Harry's cheek, a blush evident on his own as he grabbed the hoodie before leaving.

 

...

 

The next morning, Louis stumbled around while getting ready. He had passed out not too long after he got home and ended up waking up late, risking missing Harry's party. He tried to get ready as quickly as possible, knowing he'd need extra time to put makeup on his face to hide the healing bruises.

 

Mark didn't hit him last night, though Louis wishes he would have. He yelled at Louis for everything under the moon. Every big or little thing that was wrong in their lives: his mother dying was his fault, Marks car being out of gas was his fault, there being no food in the house was his fault. He successfully made Louis feel like even less of a person than he already did.

 

Louis didn't want to think about that now. He wanted to focus on getting ready and getting to Harry's party. After telling Mark he was going to work and earning a disgruntled groan in response, Louis pulled the sleeves of his sweater down further over his hands and walked as quickly as he could towards the bakery. He let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Harry's car wasn't there yet.

 

With a small sigh, Louis opened the front door and smiled at Barbra and a few of the other workers. Louis and Harry were honestly the only young kids working there, almost everyone besides Anne was well into their fifties. It's not that Louis minded, they were all so sweet to him, always giving him cookies and ruffling his hair— one of them, Julia, even liked to pinch his cheeks sometimes when he looked "just too cute!".

 

"He's on his way, everyone! Is the banner up? Get in your positions!" Anne instructed once she came into the bakery again. She had told her son to stop by early before he left to help with one last thing, and Harry being the wonderful son that he is, agreed without hesitation.

 

Louis squished himself behind the counter with everyone else. There weren't many people that worked there, apart from himself and Anne, there were four other people that worked regularly. Right when Anne was about to say something else, the bell on top of the door jingled, signalling that Harry was there.

 

"Mum? Are you even here?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, going to switch the light on. As soon as he did, everyone jumped up and yelled surprise at him with wide grins. Harry's face broke out into a confused smile, happily reciprocating the hugs he received from the elderly women.

 

"We wanted to throw you a surprise party before you left. Just a reminder that we love you and will miss you." Anne explained, pulling her son in for a tight hug.

 

"Really? This is so cool! Thank you, mum." He murmured with a smile, hugging her back.

 

Anne pulled away and couldn't help but give him a sly smirk. "Don't thank me, it was Louis' idea." At the mention of his name, Louis looked up with a blush. He was wearing Harry's hoodie already.

 

"You plan a party for me and don't even give me a hug?" Harry asked playfully, opening his arms for the boy. Louis couldn't help but scoff as he wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. "Thank you, Lou. This means a lot to me," he said sincerely.

 

Louis only hugged him tighter, keeping him as close as possible for as long as possible. "No need to thank me, Haz. I just wanted you to restart your tour off happy." He explained with a smile. The taller lad pulled away and looked into Louis' eyes, taking note of the small sparkle evident in them.

 

"Mission accomplished." Harry told him with a grin. He gave Louis one more hug before pulling away completely to go talk to a few of the other ladies.

 

Overall, his party was a success. He took pictures of Harry with everyone (including a few selfies with himself) and they all got to say their proper goodbyes. Harry got a call from his manager, telling him that his flight would be leaving soon and he needed to make it to the airport as soon as he could. After hugging his mum (and maybe shedding a few tears) he turned to Louis and gave him another hug.

 

"Thank you so much, Louis. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I'm gonna miss you," he whispered into the boys hair.

 

"I'm gonna miss you too, H. But you'll have so much fun. And we can stay in contact, yeah?" Louis asked, smiling against Harry's neck. He felt the boy nod before he pressed a kiss to Louis' temple.

 

"Stay safe." Was the last thing he said to Louis before he left. Louis couldn't help but notice the underlying tone in the request.

 

...

 **harrystyles** : amazing down time in Doncaster with my family. Also amazing surprise party from **louist91**! I'll see you all soon. All the love, H. x

 

_383929 likes         37108 retweets            617 replies_

**annetwist** : have fun my love! So proud of my boy xx

 **irishwhorean** : **louist91** bro ! wtf ??

 

...  


"Niall, I–"  


"You met Harry Styles! You work for his mum! Why didn't you tell me?"   


"I did tell you. I told you twice and you ignored me for Liam."   


"... did I?"   


"Yeah, mate. Ever since you and Liam got together it's like I don't even exist. I know you're happy and I really am happy for you, I love seeing you all lovestruck and happy, but the last time we've talked outside of school was almost two weeks ago."  


"Fuck, Lou. I'm so sorry I did that to you. Tomorrow at lunch we can hangout out back and catch up, okay? No Liam. Just you and I."  


"Really? That... that sounds nice. I have a lot I need to talk to you about."  


"Yes you do! Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah? I need to finish this homework before I go brain dead."   


"Okay. Thank you, Ni. I'll see you tomorrow."  


Louis pressed the end button and laid his phone back down on his bed moments before he did the same, his head connecting with the soft pillows. He was excited to actually talk to Niall tomorrow, he needed some advice on what to do about Harry.   


Speaking of, his phone tinged with a notification from Twitter.   


**harryupd8es** : Harry is currently singing Ever Since New York at his show tonight in London!   


Louis' heart sped up when he saw the picture attached. While Harry was here, Louis had nearly forgotten that he was a celebrity. A multi-million dollar Pop/Indie rocker with a huge fanbase. He had gotten so used to just being around Harry and getting to know him as a person.   


He was charming and charismatic and loving and hilarious and warm and cuddly and pretty and—  


Louis shook his head slightly, a small blush on his cheeks as he willed those thoughts away. Harry was one of a kind, but he wasn't. He was average at best, he had a soft baby face that made him look even younger, he had a pudgy stomach and hips, his voice was annoyingly high and scratchy, he was always covered in bruises that result in him always wearing makeup to cover them.   


He was nothing special. Despite his growing crush on Harry, he knew the celebrity would never reciprocate those feelings. No one would ever reciprocate his feelings, and he wouldn't blame them.   


With those thoughts painfully fresh in his mind, he placed his phone on the table next to his bed and plugged it in to the charger. After that was done, he shut his lamp off and pulled the blankets up to his chin so he could snuggle into them and fall asleep.   


...  


The next morning went by like usual. Louis got ready and waited for his father by the door, but was still yelled at for making them late. Louis didn't pay any mind to the harsh words today, he was too excited to talk to Niall at lunch.   


**from harry** : hi lou!!   
  


The message caught Louis off guard. He had to physically bite back a smile while in the car with Mark.   
  


 **to harry** : hi haz xx how's the tour life going?  
  


 **from harry**  : good! it's going good already. on my way out of england today ):  
  


 **from harry**  : i changed your name in my phone by the way! it's 'louie' with the little bat emoji  
  


 **to harrie** : why a bat? and my name is louiS  
  


 **from harrie** : because bats are tiny and cute!! and i know your name is louis, but you pronounce it louie!   
  


 **to harrie** : you're a goof. i gotta go, haz. i'm at school ): have fun, rockstar xx  
  


Harry replied a few minutes later, telling him to have a good day and to be safe. It warmed Louis' heart, honestly. Even if it just just a simple phrase, every time Harry told him to stay safe, it made him feel something weird.   
  


Throughout the day, Louis reread his conversation with Harry a few times and the butterflies grew each time. Harry called him cute! He said Louis was tiny and cute like a bat, and while Louis didn't see the cuteness in bats, he took the compliment regardless.   
  


"Lou! Are you ready?" Niall came up to him. He was holding hands with Liam, who smiled warmly at him. "This is Liam, by the way. I know you two have seen each other, but I'm not sure if you've been introduced."  
  


"I don't think we have. It's nice to meet you, Louis. Niall talks about you a lot." Liam said with a laugh, giving Niall's hand a small squeeze.   
  


"Good things, I hope." Louis joked, giving Niall a pointed look. "I'm glad we got to meet, though! Glad I can see who's making my best friend all happy and giggly." He said with a knowing smirk, watching the Irish boy blush.   
  


Liam let out a small laugh and dropped Niall's hand, pressing a kiss to his temple. "I'll see you later, love. Nice meeting you, Louis!" He waved at the two before walking away.   
  


Louis turned back to Niall with a raised brow, throwing his bag around his shoulder. "Mate, he's fit. Like... fit."   
  


"I know! I'm still in shock that he asked me out, honestly." Niall gushed, putting his hand over his heart. He linked his arm with Louis' and pulled him towards the double doors at the end of the hallway. "Enough about me, tell me about you! And Harry!"   
  


"There's not much to talk about," Louis said with a blush once they sat down against the building. Niall sat in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "Okay, yeah, there's a ton to talk about. Well, I told you about needing to get a job and all that, yeah? On my first day, I realised the owner was Harry's mum and then she said something like 'my sons coming in soon and he can help you' and then I just. Niall, he's bloody gorgeous. I almost cried when I first saw him."   
  


Niall chuckled, picking up a random blade of grass to play with while Louis spoke. "How gorgeous? Like, does he look as good as in the pictures?"  
  


"Better!" Louis nearly squealed.  "After a couple of days, I ended up going to his house with him and his mum and we watched movies and Anne told me stories from when he was a little kid. It was so much fun, Ni. That's what we did every day after work until he had to leave yesterday. But, before he left, he gave me this hoodie," Louis motioned towards the hoodie he was wearing. "He said if I kept it then he'd have a reason to come back and find me."   
  


"I think I need to go to the dentist." Niall said, shaking his head while holding his jaw.   
  


"Why?" Louis raised his eyebrow, watching Niall with a confused expression.   
  


"Because that's so sweet I think I have a cavity." Louis blushed at that, pulling the sleeves of the hoodie down further. "Do you like him?"  
  


"I mean... yeah. He makes me happy. Like, happier than I thought I could be." Louis' blush only got worse as he tilted his head down, playing with the hem of the hoodie. "When we watch movies, he'll put his arm around my shoulder and let me put my head on his chest. And when he has his arm around me, it's like, I don't–, I feel safe. Really safe." He continued, looking back up at Niall.   
  


"Lou, that's incredible." He murmured, pulling the boy in for a hug (which was awkward because they were both sitting down, but it worked). "Wait, does he know? About your dad?"   
  


Louis shook his head quickly once they pulled away. "No, I... no. I don't want him to. I'm scared of his reaction." He explained quietly, his shoulders shrugging in defeat.   
  


"Lou, if you like him this much, maybe you should tell him. Maybe he can help you?" Niall suggested.   
  


"No. He's a famous singer who can have any girl or guy he wants in the entire world! He's not gonna choose a dumb eighteen year old who gets beat up by his father every day! If he finds out, it'll ruin everything. I just want to be friends with him and if he knows..." Louis trailed off, shaking his head. He pulled his knees to his chest and let out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself before he started to cry.   
  


"I'm sorry, Lou, I shouldn't have brought it up." Niall was quick to apologise. He shifted closer to Louis and placed his hand on the boys shoulder, rubbing it gently. "You don't have to tell him if you don't want to." He chose not to comment on the other parts because he knew anything he said would just upset Louis further.   
  


"Let's just talk about something else, okay? Don't want to think about it right now." Louis shook his head. Niall gave him a sad smile, but nodded in agreement. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Louis' phone buzzed again.   
  


"Ooo! Is that lover boy?" Niall smirked, looking over at the boys phone.  
  


Louis rolled his eyes at that, unlocking his phone. Part of him was hoping that it was Harry.   
  


 **from mark** : u need to wrk longer hrs . ur paycheque isn't enough .   
  


 **from mark** : i will drive u 2 work 2day and have a word with ur boss abt hrs .   
  


Louis looked down at his phone with an evident frown. He was already working as much as he could. He worked from 2:30 in the afternoon to 10 at night. The only reason he goes in so late is because of school, but when he doesn't have school, he works from 7:30 to 6:30. How much more can he possibly work?   
  


"You alright, mate?" Niall asked, a similar expression on his face. He could tell the message Louis received was definitely not from Harry.   
  


"Yeah, 'm fine. Just my dad again." Louis replied with a shrug, locking his phone again. He slid it back in his pocket and picked at his hoodie again, not feeling their conversation anymore. Luckily he wouldn't have to any longer because the bell had rung. Niall stood with a weary expression, pulling Louis in for a hug.   
  


"You know you can still come to me if you have a problem with him. If you need a place to stay or anything, I'll try to help you as much as I can." Niall told him, giving him a squeeze before letting go. Louis stayed silent but nodded anyway, hugging him back weakly.   
  


His day stayed like that. His happy mood was long gone and he ignored any texts from Niall and even Harry for the rest of the day. Once school was over, Marks car was parked out front as promised. Louis got in quietly, his body rigid and pushed as far against the door as he could manage. Luckily, Mark seemed to be more interested in the radio than Louis.   
  


At the bakery, Louis nearly tripped while scrambling as fast as he could out of the car. He ignored almost everyone inside, grabbing his apron from the back so he could get to work making dough like Harry had taught him.   
  


Would Harry stand up for him if he was here? Louis wondered that while he heard his father asking to speak with Anne. Louis wondered if Harry would wrap his arms around Louis and hold him really tight when he saw the single tear slide down his cheek.   
  


"Louis?" Anne asked while walking over to him. He heard the front door ding, probably signalling that Mark had left.  
  


"Yes ma'am?" Louis answered weakly, placing the pan he was holding into the oven before turning to Anne. She had a warm smile on her face, but there was some underlying emotion he couldn't quite make out.   
  


"I spoke with your father and he explained to me that you were having financial problems. You're a very hard worker, Louis. I want to help you out as much as I can. Which is why, I'm gonna give you a raise. Unfortunately, it won't be much, but you'll be making almost as much as if you were here for years." She explained in a soothing tone, putting her hand on Louis' shoulder.   
  


Financial problems? You mean my father? Louis wanted to say. When she finished speaking, Louis smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Twist." He remembered Harry telling him about her recent engagement to a wonderful man named Robin. "It means a lot, truly."   
  


Anne nodded and pulled him in for a hug. "If you need anything, Louis, anything at all, I want you to come to me. Okay? I'm here for you. Harry is as well," she said the last part with a wider smile.   
  


At the mention of her son, Louis blushed and nodded again. "Yes ma'am. I appreciate it all, trust me." He wouldn't take her up on the offer, he knew that much. She had enough to worry about— she didn't need him crying to him about his problems.    
  


"Now, get back to the bread. I don't pay you to just sit around and look cute!" She said jokingly, patting his shoulder one more time before heading back to the front of the store.


End file.
